Porsche’s customer teams and the 911 GT3 R have already given a demonstration of their force in the so-called 'Qualifiers' in mid-April. Falken Motorsports celebrated two victories, while Manthey EMA finished both races on the podium. Moreover, Dinamic GT, Lionspeed GP and Herberth Motorsport will each field one ca. 415 kW (565 PS) GT3 racer from Weissach.
“We began preparing for 2024 straight after last year’s 24-hour race,” said Sebastian Golz, Project Manager Porsche 911 GT3 R.
“We worked hard alongside the manufacturers to understand last year’s tyre damage. After in-depth analyses, we applied the appropriate measures. The start of the 2024 season showed that we did a good job together. Our teams and drivers are happy with the vehicle balance. Now we need to sort out the race procedures and focus on getting through the race without making any mistakes. Lap time performance alone is not the main priority. Teamwork, managing overtaking in a big field of 130 cars, the right tyre choice for different conditions and ensuring that the driver feels good in the car will be the keys to success.”
The commitment of Porsche customer teams goes far beyond participation in the top SP9 class for GT3 vehicles. Thirty-nine other racing cars from the German manufacturer are registered in ten different classes. This means that Porsche has by far the largest contingent of entries in the race. The most popular model is the 911 GT3 Cup, 14 of which will compete in the dedicated Cup2 category.
“Porsche is again clearly the most well-represented brand at the Nürburgring 24-hour race this year. This shows that we continue to enjoy high trust among our partners and customers and that our products are well established on the market,” said Michael Dreiser, Director Sales Porsche Motorsport.
“I’m confident that the six Porsche 911 GT3 R will perform strongly against the tough competition in the top SP9 class. The customer teams are extremely professional with first-class drivers crewing all the cars. Our customers will undoubtedly deliver some gripping racing in other categories too, like in the fiercely competitive Cup2 class with the 911 GT3 Cup and the Cup3 class with the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport.”
The 24-hour race on the Nürburgring will be contested for the 52nd time. After the debut event in June 1970, the race twice around the clock was cancelled three times: in 1974 and 1975 due to the oil crisis at that time and in 1983 due to construction work. Since 2005, the race has been held on a 25.378-kilometre combination of the historic Nordschleife and the modern Grand Prix circuit. The racetrack features more than 70 corners, including the famous steeply-banked “Karussell”. The steepest incline of the undulating course has a gradient of 18 percent with the steepest downhill section at a maximum of 11 percent. On the 2.6-kilometre “Döttinger Höhe” straight, the racing cars achieve a top speed of over 280 km/h.
The format is also special: twelve cars already made it into the Top Qualifying session at the first two races of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) season and in the two “Qualifiers”. Manthey’s “Grello”, the two 911 GT3 R from Falken Motorsports and the identical models fielded by Herberth Motorsport and Lionspeed GP are already eligible to take part in this spectacular individual time trial for the 17 best grid positions. Dinamic GT is the only team to still fight for a spot in the shootout.
Herberth Motorsport #5 – Robert Renauer (D), Vincent Kolb (D), Dennis Olsen (N), Matt Campbell (AUS)
Lionspeed GP #24 – Antares Au (HKG), Patric Niederhauser (CH), Patrick Kolb (D), Indy Dontje (NL)
Falken Motorsports #33 – Julien Andlauer (F), Klaus Bachler (A), Sven Müller (D), Alessio Picariello (B)
Falken Motorsports #44 – Joel Eriksson (S), Tim Heinemann (D), Nico Menzel (D), Martin Ragginger (A)
Dinamic GT #54 – Marco Holzer (D), Marco Seefried (D), Bastian Buus (DK), Marvin Dienst (D)
Manthey EMA #911 – Laurens Vanthoor (B), Thomas Preining (A), Kévin Estre (F), Ayhancan Güven (TR)
Porsche 911 GT3 R, Manthey EMA (#911), Laurens Vanthoor (B), Thomas Preining (A), Kévin Estre (F), Ayhancan Güven (TR), Nürburgring, 2024, Porsche AG
Drivers’ comments before the race
Matt Campbell (Porsche 911 GT3 R #5): “I’m super excited to go racing on the Nordschleife again soon. This is always a major highlight and one of the best events of the entire year for me. Our tests were successful in the Eifel a few weeks ago. This was the first time I’ve driven on this legendary track since the last 24-hour race. As far as I’m concerned, it can start immediately!”
Klaus Bachler (Porsche 911 GT3 R #33): “I love the Nordschleife! To prepare for this year’s 24-hour race, we had first-class results with Falken Motorsports. Julien Andlauer, Alessio Picariello, Sven Müller and I make a strong crew in the Porsche 911 GT3 R. While our team is well positioned, we all know the Eifel and the long-distance classic: anything is possible at any time. I hope that we can build on our great results from the spring and fight for overall victory.”
Kévin Estre (Porsche 911 GT3 R #911): “The 24-hour race is a very special annual event – especially when you get to drive the famous ‘Grello’. Last year we put in a lot of work but missed out on harvesting the fruit of those efforts. We intend to change that. Our preparation went well. We’ll have a great car for the race – so it’ll be great fun on the Nordschleife. We’ll do everything we can to hand Manthey another win.”
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